Novella Islands Navy
The Novella Islands Navy (NIN) is the naval branch of the Novella Islands Defence Force, the armed forces of the Social Republic of the Novella Islands.
History
Structure
Active Inventory
Ships
Aircraft Carriers
Defiant-class Supercarrier
Egalitarian-class Supercarrier
Cruisers
Orchestration-class Commander Cruiser
Destroyers
Ajax-class Air Warfare Destroyer
Frigates
Nautilus-class Heavy Frigate
Aturia-class Light Frigate
Submarines
Amphibious Warfare Vessels
Auxiliary Ships
Guardian-class Hospital Ship
Salvation-class Hospital Ship
Supply-class Engineering and Maintenance Ship
Aircraft
The Novella Islands Navy operates a variety of both fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft, which are primarily based on its fleet of aircraft carriers. Each of the aircraft in service is based upon a design that was developed in tandem with the Novella Islands Aerospace Force, with any relevant alterations for carrier use where necessary (earning the "C" designation).
Fixed-Wing Aircraft
Based on the Novella Islands Defence Force's overarching air combat doctrine, the Navy's inventory of fixed-wing aircraft is comprised of multiple differing designs, each specialised to be the pinnacle of performance within their class and role. Further, based on this same doctrine, all carrier-based fixed-wing aircraft are designed with both integrated active and passive stealth systems, as a basic requirement for requisition.
Contrary to the design philosophy of many other navies, the Novella Islands Navy has not prioritised the development or deployment of vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft designs, due to the nature of the compromises required to implement such equipment into the airframe. As a result, the Novella Islands only bases its fixed-wing aircraft on vessels that are equipped with both a catapult and arresting wire system. Smaller vessels with aviation facilities are therefore only equipped to operate rotary-wing aircraft.
AF-99C Striker II
The AF-99C Striker II is the dedicated attack aircraft design employed by the Novella Islands Navy. Carrying the largest payload of all aircraft in service with the Navy, the Striker II is equipped to deliver devastating tactical strikes with both air-to-ground and air-to-sea missiles, and precision guided bombs. The AF-99 Striker II is the only aircraft in service with the Navy that is capable of fielding the Novella Islands' weapons of mass destruction (most notably, both the GNB-3 Guided Nuclear Bomb and the AANM-2 Air-to-Air Nuclear Missile). The Striker II can alternatively field a single cruise missile (once again, notably the NCM-7 Nuclear Cruise Missile).
Although technically capable of multirole tasking, doubling as a heavy fighter with its air-to-ground ordinance replaced with air-to-air missiles, the Striker II is rarely employed in this role due to the greater characteristics of the F-19 Falcon II or F-77 Condor at their respective roles. Nevertheless, each Striker II in service aboard the carriers of the Novella Islands Navy is able to be rearmed for fighter duties, in a comparable time to the rearming turnaround of both the F-19 Falcon II and F-77 Condor. Striker II pilots are still required to drill for fighter operations in the course of their training.
EO-103C Oculus
The EO-103C Oculus is the dedicated airborne early warning and control aircraft design employed by the Novella Islands Navy. Filling the radar picket and operational director role, the Oculus also has the capability of engaging in electronic warfare to support allies in combat. The largest and heaviest of all aircraft in service with the Navy, it has the both longest operational flight duration and range, at the expense of agility and maximum speed.
F-19C Falcon II
The F-19C Falcon II is the dedicated close-in air-superiority fighter aircraft design employed by the Novella Islands Navy. It is the most agile aircraft design employed by the Navy to date; the use of thrust-vectoring, a double-canard control surface forward of the main lifting wing, and a dedicated reaction control system (utilising technology developed for the Novella Islands' space program) all enable it to dominate any dogfighting engagement with ease. To ensure maximum manoeuvrability within the given aerodynamic characteristics, weight restrictions result in the Falcon II's maximum range and operational duration being far shorter than other aircraft in service.
F-77C Condor
The F-77C Condor is the dedicated beyond-visual-range (BVR) air-superiority fighter aircraft design employed by the Novella Islands Navy. Developed to fill the gap between the interceptor and close-in air-superiority fighter roles, the BVR air-superiority fighter aircraft is equipped with advanced avionics and radar equipment. Though neither exceptionally fast nor particularly manoeuvrable, its specialised hardware allows it to strike incoming targets - as the name suggests - at extreme ranges, before they can pose a significant threat.
I-74C Swift II
The I-74C Swift II is the dedicated interceptor aircraft design employed by the Novella Islands Navy. While it is less manoeuvrable than the F-19 Falcon II, and carries far fewer armaments, it is the fastest aircraft in operation within the Navy by a significant margin. The Swift II's primary role is to intercept targets beyond their engagement range, ensuring that they are neutralised before they can pose a threat to the fleet.